It's beginning to look a lot like SOUP WEATHER! While I unabashedly crave soup year round, even in the hottest summer months, winter makes it feel more like a need. Especially when the cold is paired with the wind we've been having, I need something to warm me up. I use mugs of tea as hand warmers at work, but when I get home and have full access to my kitchen, anything goes. Saturday morning, I woke up cold and craving chicken soup, so I headed to the grocery store and grabbed a bunch of stuff that looked good. Anyone who knows me knows I have a bit of a pho addiction, so a lot of the ingredients ended up being very pho-like. I threw them all together in a big pot and created what Tim called "maybe my best recipe yet"! When asked if it was blog-worthy, he said it was something that everyone should make - so take it from him, it's kind of the best!

After re-making this in the Instant Pot (on sale again for only $80!) the other night (meaning yes, Tim and I have had this soup for approximately 6 separate meals this week), I decide to provide the Instant Pot instructions because a) I keep telling people how great the Instant Pot is without actually publishing any recipes for it and b) this is even EASIER in the Instant Pot and, dare I say it, more delicious because less broth evaporates and it is a brothy spicy bowl of wonderfulness. Instant Pot instructions have been added below!

Long time no read! My soon-to-be mother-in-law (hi, Didi!) reminded me the other night that I've been seriously slacking on my book club posts, and for that I truly apologize. Especially since I've read some really good ones recently! This season is the perfect time to curl up on the couch with a glass of red wine and a good book, and it's something I look forward to almost as much (okay fine, just as much) as the big holiday parties this time of year is known for! Check out some of my favorites here and some new selections below!

You guys, I'm SO upset. I was so proud of myself for getting almost all of my Christmas shopping done super early this year, and now I'm SO MAD because the #1 most perfect gift is on super crazy sale and I have no one to give it to! If you only buy one thing this Black Friday, it should be the Instant Pot. I've mentioned it before, but it is easily the most used kitchen tool in my home. It has SEVEN functions: pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, saute/browning (so you don't have to brown anything in a separate pan, yay!) yogurt maker, steamer, and warmer. I love to start it, run out to the gym or to do errands, and come home to a perfect meal ready to go. It's usually $130, and today it's only $69! Trust me - this is the best kitchen investment you could possibly make!

Growing up, my favorite take-out nights were when my dad would go to Tara Thai and come home with larb gai, chicken satay, shrimp pad thai, and, my absolute favorite, beef kapow. I would take a little of everything else and hoard as much of the kapow as I could. Side story: my mom had surgery for a torn ACL a few years ago right before my birthday, so I spent the night at my parents' house the night before my birthday since she was immobile. My parents told me they planned to have some of the food their friends had dropped off but asked if I wanted anything different for my birthday dinner; I asked for Tara Thai and asked my dad to just get all of the usual stuff. It wasn't until he got home and we sat down to dinner that I realized my parents STILL planned to eat the food their friends dropped off, and my dad had unquestioningly gotten me FOUR meals for my dinner. Best. Birthday. Ever.

You know those weeks when your meal planning all comes together and you use every single grocery item you bought and nothing goes to waste? Yeah, me neither. Between last minute plans and last minute cravings, I nearly always find myself staring at the fridge at some point near the end of the week, or even the week AFTER I meant to use everything, trying to figure out how to use up everything before it goes bad, like, tomorrow.

I'm Steph, a wannabe chef in DC cooking for two in a tiny apartment kitchen. I love food (cooking it AND eating it), wine, books, and writing, and I'm so excited to share a bit of my life (and my food!) with you!